With Luis Suarez looking as though he will head through the exit door at Liverpool soon we have drawn up a list of players capable of replacing him.
10. Alvaro Morata
The Real Madrid striker may be slightly green around the gills, but he has all the promise in the world. At just 20-years-old he has already broken into the Spanish giants first team and last season managed to bag his first two goals for the club.
The Reds have already been linked with making a £6 million move for the youngster as he looks set for another bit part role in Spain this term. Behind the likes of Ronaldo and Benzema, with Real sure to pursue another front man to add to the mix, he would do well to seek a move away from the Bernabeu, if only on a short term deal.
Though inexperienced, he fits in well with the ethos of young signings that Rodgers has been making so far over the past year.
Liverpool already have Daniel Sturridge and Iago Aspas up front, but Morata would add something entirely different to their attacking options. At 6’2 he is a classic target man, providing an arial ability that Liverpool just do not posses right now, he is able to hold the ball up and bring others into the game – vital when you have speedsters like Sturridge and Iago flanking you.
9. Luis Muriel
The Udinese attacker has seen his stock rise considerably over the past year despite a series of serious injury problems.
Spending most of his three year spell in Italy away on loan with Lecce and fellow Pozzo family owned club Granada, he returned last year to finish the season with 11 goals and 3 assists in just 22 matches with just 15 starts, which included good performances against the likes of Inter Milan and Roma.
Frequently compared to Brazilian legend Ronaldo for his electric dribbling style and ornate finishing ability. However, just like the former Inter Milan, the 22-year-old suffers with fluctuating weight problems of his own, but regular praise from his fellow professionals and writers in Serie A seem to suggest that it may not be that big of a problem if he continues his current rate of growth.
Now a full on international with the exciting Colombian national team, a bid between £8-10 million could be enough to prize him away from the Stadio Fruilli.
8. Michu
Brendan Rodgers hasn’t raided his former club the way that most managers tend to, having only added Joe Allen to his ranks since making the move to Merseyside.
However, now he is in need to a viable attacking option, last season’s biggest bargain could prove to great to resist and a move could be sanctioned sooner rather than later.
Sadly, though, this time he will cost considerably more than the £2 million that Michael Laudrup’s men paid for him, but surely his ambition to test himself at a higher level will be too great to turn down a move to the Anfield outfit, and for his versatility he would be worth the outlay.
Michu’s class was evident before he’d even joined – to score 15 goals a season for a small side in a league so badly dominated by two teams was impressive to say the least, and he’s carried on that good form for the South Wales side.
A successful season not only for him, but for the club too has seen him bag a League Cup winners medal and secure European football next season.
7. Loic Remy
The 26-year-old joined Rangers from French side Marseille in January for a fee of £8.5 million and has been one of the bright sparks in the club’s season that has seen him bag five goals in 12 appearances and he is still the subject of much speculation during the summer transfer window.
He is unlikely to stay with the West London club for a stint in the championship as he’ll want to put himself in contention for France’s World Cup squad next year and he already has a steady queue of clubs wanting to snap him up.
However, Liverpool has been mooted as his most likely destination despite him being offered to a number of clubs – including serial Francophiles, Newcastle United.
Remy has a relegation release clause installed in his contract for just £6 million, and there now appears to be a Mexican stand off between the interested side, which now include Inter Milan and Napoli.
His lightning quick pace and accurate finishing will make him a valuable commodity to any side in the top flight, and Rodgers would do well to pounce now and avoid missing out on a bargain.
6. Fabio Quagliarella
Juventus currently have six strikers on their books, including the 30-year-old, though his nine goals in last season’s Scudetto winning campaign aren’t thought to be enough to save him from the axe after the recent acquisition of Carlos Tevez from Manchester City.
Though he may never have been particularly prolific for the Old Lady, he does boast an impressive career record of 116 goals in 373 appearances that has spanned 14 years.
Alongside fellow forward Alessandro Matri, the Italian international has been told that he is surplus to requirements with the Old Lady and he could be available for as little as £7.5 million.
A tall rangy striker, he would also add something to Rodgers’ frontline that is currently lacking and he has a wealth of European Cup competition that would stand the side in good stead ahead of their own Europa League campaign this season.
He has two Serie A titles under his belt thanks to his efforts with Juve, and can count 25 caps with the Italian national side next to his name, though he has never quite been able to establish himself fully with the Azzurri.
5. Bafetimbi Gomis
‘Baby Drogba’ as he is known, has been the victim of circumstance at Lyon this summer. He had made it clear that he didn’t want to move, yet the club need to sell him in order to balance the books.
Liverpool had been linked with a move for him back in December, but most recently the 27-year-old has been strongly linked with moves to Swansea City and Premier League new boys Cardiff City, whilst Lyon are said to be engaged in ongoing talks with Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk over a potential deal for the France international.
Lyon are hoping to offload the powerful attacker in order to free up funds to build other areas of the squad as they look to re-establish themselves as a force in French football once again and challenge PSG at the top of the table.
But the French international has refused to be rushed into a sale against his wishes and neither of the Welsh sides have appealed to his lofty ambitions. He had stated that Champions League football was paramount to his requirements, but Rodgers could twist his arm by convincing him to be a part of the side to help restore the historic club to former glories and take a detour through the Europa League in the process.
4. Burak Yilmaz
The Turkish international has enjoyed quite the rise in fortunes recently. Having joined Galatasaray last summer from Trabzonspor, where he scored 58 times in 93 games, he has continued that good form this term by bagging 26 in 31 appearances.
His performances for the Turkish giants has caught the eye of a number of top European clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool. So far the only serious interest has come from England but with the Merseyside club still interested they are thought to have no direct competition for his signature.
Whilst any of those clubs will be a tough proposition to turn down, Liverpool could entice the 27-year-old by outlining the rebuilding plans that Brendan Rodgers will surely have.
Liverpool have a number of strikers already at the club, but following Suarez’s imminent departure they will have no out-and-out goalscorer that the club will sorely need to compliment the various other attacking talents in their possession.
A firmly established Turkish international, he also has a solid season of Champions League experience behind him – a season that saw him finish off the group stages as the tournament’s top scorer.
Furthermore, he would be available after Galatasaray president Unal Aysal recently admitted they would be prepared to sell Yilmaz for the right price this summer.
3. Demba Ba
The French born Senegalese hitman hasn’t quite had the impact that many were hoping for at Stamford Bridge since joining from Newcastle United in January.
A paltry six goals in 22 appearances even saw him slip behind Fernando Torres in the pecking order and though it hasn’t been said, there is a feeling that if the right offer came along then Jose Mourinho could be convinced to let the 28-year-old go.
His signing by Rafa Benitez now appears to have been on a whim on order to fill a space that needed taking, and in hindsight, the Spaniard would have been better off looking elsewhere.
However, that’s not to say he is a bad player – far from it. He has already proved with both West Ham and Newcastle that he is capable of being a devastating top flight striker. Chelsea can be somewhat of a blackhole for forwards, just ask former Anfield favourite Fernando Torres.
Quick, powerful and athletic, he would suit Liverpool’s needs like a glove and would probably not command a hefty fee if Brendan Rodgers did decide to press ahead with the pursuit of his signature.
2. Jackson Martinez
The Colombian may be a slightly ambitious target after setting Portugal alight with his impressive goal tally this season.
Having only signed last summer from Mexican club Jaguares, the 26-year-old has set about making a name for himself in Europe by scoring 34 goals in 39 games for the Portuguese giants.
Several clubs along with Liverpool have been looking at him this year. Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur have all sent scouts over to Porto to make sure that his form hasn’t been a flash in the pan.
At one of the bigger club’s he’s been linked to he may not necessarily start every week, but at Liverpool he could become a key component of the side as they aim to fill the gap left by his Uruguayan counterpart.
He’s also Radamel Falcao’s strike partner for Colombia too. The South American’s are transforming themselves from a side who seldom had much to offer into one of the most exciting teams around. So far Martinez has scored eight goals in 18 appearances.
There are more experienced strikers available to United, but news of their interest would surely turn his head and he would represent a sound investment as he’s slipped under the radar of many managers up until now.
1. Christian Eriksen
One of the hottest prospects in Europe, the young Dane is in high demand and Liverpool would do very well indeed if they managed to convince him to join the club. Though not a striker Eriksen can certainly fill a void if Luis Suarez does indeed leave Anfield.
Having broken into Ajax’s first team in 2010 the 21-year-old has since gone onto make over 150 appearances for the Amsterdam outfit.
What’s more is that he has an incredible rate of creating assists, over the past three seasons he’s clocked up 13-17-17 scoring chances for others, something which will benefit Liverpool’s front line greatly, especially if he has Gerrard and Coutinho behind him.
Despite his tender years he’s also managed to wrack up 34 appearances for the Danish national side. Couple that with the Champions League experience he’s gained in Holland, you can expect that he has a mature head on his young shoulders.
A move away from the Dutch giants this summer does seem likely for Eriksen. He has just under 18 months left to run on his current deal and he has all but said that he wants to test himself on a bigger stage, something that Ajax fans are more than used to by now.
Valued at £16 million, there’s a good chance that he’ll be available for just a fraction of that price.